I was talking to my friend Clark the other day. As we were finishing up, he did not fail to do that which he has done every time we have talked for the last two years. You see, Clark retired two years ago. He draws a pension or two, and Social Security retirement benefits. As always, he thanked me for continuing to work and pay my taxes, especially my FICA tax so that there would still be money in the Social Security system from which he could continue to draw his retirement benefit.
Now, you can say a great many things about Clark, but ungrateful is not one of them. Nor is not knowing on which side of the bed his golden goose is buttered or forgetting to grease its gears. (That is such a convoluted comparative metaphor I just couldn’t help myself; see if you can keep up with it.)
It is great fun and a yuck or two every time he says it.
But it got me thinking, and ranting, which is the whole point, right?
Who among all the recipients of entitlements, such as welfare, public union retirement benefits, food stamps, and cash for clunkers has bothered to thank you for paying taxes so that they could collect those benefits? I have never been in the checkout line at the grocery store and ever once heard, “I just want to thank you for paying the taxes that pay for the food stamps I’m using to buy food for my babies.”
If that has happened to anyone reading this, I want to hear about it. But, frankly, I don’t know of a single case.
Has the United Autoworkers Union or the AFL-CIO ever run an ad thanking us tax payers for bailing out Chrysler and GM and all the other related companies so they could keep their jobs and continue to earn a living? I haven’t heard one. They did give plenty of money to the Wisconsin recall elections by all accounts. Oh, and they continue to give generously to Democratic political campaigns. But, sadly, not a single published thank you to the rest of us who made all of that possible.
At least if you drop some coins in the Salvation Army bucket you get a mumbled “Thanks” or at least a nod from the guy ringing the bell. Even the homeless guys mumble thank you as they get a bowl of soup in the food line.
While we are on the subject of takers, did you ever see a politician run an ad after the election thanking all the people who voted for him? I haven’t. Many of them still have lots of money in the campaign fund, but do you think they will spend 1/1000th of the amount on a thank you that they spent on pleading for your vote?
The next time you run into someone who is drawing unemployment, or food stamps, or welfare, or is even a government employee, subtly ask them if they are thankful for it. See if they say they are thankful and why. I suspect they won’t. And if they do, it will have nothing to do with us honest, hardworking tax payers. Cynical, I know. But, just you do it and let’s see.
